Featured Reviews

Two Rivers 2017 Brookby Hill Pinot Gris and Juliet Riesling

04 December,2017

Dave Clouston has rapidly grown his ‘Two Rivers’ and ‘Black
Cottage’ Marlborough brands over the past few years, but the growth has taken a
significant step up with the acquisition of a 9.3 ha block with 6.0 ha of
established vines in the Omaka Valley in December 2015. The vineyard was close-planted in 2000 with Pinot
Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Syrah and Viognier. Named ‘Brookby Hill’, this is the base for
Dave Clouston’s operation. The vineyard
has become an important supply of high quality fruit, and the wines from it are
beginning to show distinctive personalities as Dave becomes more intimate with
the traits of the vineyard and the vines.
Here, I review the 2017 releases of ‘Brookby Hill’ Pinot Gris and
‘Juliet’ Riesling, made from ‘Brookby Hill’ fruit. Dave describes the 2017 growing season as
"incredibly challenging” but is very pleased with his wines, the Pinot Gris
fruit "surprisingly our cleanest fruit out of the entire vintage”. www.tworivers.co.nz

FEATURED WINES IN THIS REVIEW

Two Rivers ‘Brookby Hill’ Marlborough Pinot Gris 2017

Pinot Gris from New Zealand – Marlborough

18.5+/20

Bright, pale straw-yellow colour, light on the rim. The nose is soft and refined with ethereal
aromas of white and yellow stonefruits with harmoniously interwoven notes of
exotic white florals and subtle notes of honeysuckle. This is elegantly fragrant and beautiful in
expression. Dryish to taste and
medium-bodied, the palate has moderately deep fruit flavours of white and yellow stonefruits along with
notes of florals and honeysuckle. The
fruit forms a well-concentrated core and the wine flows along a fine
phenolic-threaded line with balanced lacy acid energy. The wine carries with good drive and
linearity to a lingering finish of exotic stonefruits, florals and honey. This is a refined dryish Pinot Gris with
exotic flavours of stonefruits, honeysuckle and florals on a fine-textured
palate with very good linearity. Match
with Asian and Middle Eastern fare over the next 3+ years. Hand-picked fruit from the ‘Brookby Hill’
vineyard, vines 17 y.o., tank-fermented with 10% in barrel to 13.0% alc. 4.2
g/L RS the wine spending 4 months on lees.
700 cases made. 18.5+/20 Dec 2017
RRP $24.00

Two Rivers ‘Juliet’ Marlborough Riesling 2017

Riesling from New Zealand – Marlborough

18.5+/20

Bright
pale straw-yellow colour, near colourless on the rim. The nose is gently full and voluminous with
aromas of limes and tangerine fruit, with exotic florals, honeysuckle and
delicate aromas of musk. The aromatics
are expressed with finesse and stylish intensity. Medium in sweetness and light-medium bodied,
the palate has subtly rich and luscious flavours of citrus fruits, exotic
florals, honeysuckle and musk. The
flavours form a rounded but concentrated, tightly bound heart with fruit
extract and fine phenolic textures. The
mouthfeel has bright, refreshing acidity, and the wine carries to a sustained,
soft-textured finish od exotic citrus and floral fruit with delicate musk
notes. This is a gently rich, taut and
concentrated, fine-textured medium Riesling with citrus, floral, honeysuckle
and musk flavours on a refreshing palate.
Serve as an aperitif, and with Thai, Vietnamese or Japanese cuisine over
the next 4-5+ years. Hand-picked fruit
from the ‘Brookby Hill’ vineyard, vines 70 y.o., WBP and cool-fermented to 11.0
% alc. and 20 g/L RS, TA 7.4 g/L and pH 2.97, the wine aged 4 months on fine
lees. 550 cases made. 18.5+/20
Dec 2017 RRP $24.00